How 'Survivor' Can Take Over 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Emmy Domination (2024)

Survivor has been on the air since 2000, yet people still ask, "That show's still on?" In its heyday, Survivor received some Emmy Award love, but recently, RuPaul's Drag Race has dominated the category for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program. If Jeff Probst and company continue leaning into the human elements of the contestants, Survivor may have a shot in the dark to win Emmy gold and dethrone the current queen of reality.

RuPaul's Drag Race won its fifth Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program. It's currently seated in second place when it comes to the most overall wins by a specific show, as The Amazing Race holds the title with ten victories. Since its inception in 2003, the category has honored an assortment of shows with nominations, but aside from the previously mentioned, The Voice, Top Chef, and Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls are the only shows to have won the prize. For the show with one of the longest tenures on television, Survivor has never won. Host Jeff Probst has been able to earn some votes from the Emmy Tribal Council, but the program itself hasn't received any love. Only this year did Survivor receive its first nomination in the category since 2006. Reality television shows come and go, but Survivor has remained present and consistent. What has changed is the desire to lean into the real stories of their contestants. If Survivor continues to bring to light the emotional and powerful human interest narratives, they might have a chance to win. It's part of the winning formula for RuPaul's Drag Race, the show that has dominated the Emmys since the nominators recognized the show.

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Survivor

Reality

A reality show where a group of contestants are stranded in a remote location with little more than the clothes on their back. The lone survivor of this contest takes home a million dollars.

Release Date

May 31, 2000

Cast

Jeff Probst

Main Genre

Reality-TV

Seasons

45

Website

Studio

CBS

'Survivor' Must Lean Into the Human Interest Stories Like 'RuPaul's Drag Race' to Have a Chance

Part of RuPaul's Drag Race's recipe for success is having a reality competition show that is part talent competition and part celebration of art and the LGBTQ+ community. The format has allowed host and show namesake RuPaul to interact with their contestants and allow their stories to take center stage. Drag Race has been a platform to share stories. From Willow Pill's discussion about their experience with cystinosis to Ongina's dramatic reveal about their HIV-positive status to Monica Beverly Hillz sharing they were a transgender woman, no matter the story, they pulled at the heartstrings. These stories allowed RuPaul's Drag Race to go beyond the reality television norms and give viewers a glimpse of the person behind the paint. Viewers of the show joke that this is how the program baited Emmy recognition, but at the end of the day, it worked! In the new era of Survivor, similar human interest stories have entered the edit.

The New Era of Survivor has proudly been part of CBS's Diversity Initiative, where 50% of the reality cast must be Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BPOC). The diverse casting has brought forth incredible and important conversations that Survivor has never really touched before. On Survivor 42, after a Black castaway was voted out during a split Tribal Council, contestants Drea Wheeler and season winner Maryanne Oketch discussed the discomfort of seeing the first two jurors being Black. They in turn played their respective idols to ensure that another Black player would not be voted out. The conversation was bigger than the game and brought Survivor to another level beyond strategy and gameplay. And this all came on the heels of the Campout Alliance on Survivor 41, a final-four pact that bonded the four Black contestants who were playing for representation. Moments like these never found this type of platform in previous seasons of Survivor. By taking the time to inform and educate the viewers on how important these real human moments were on Survivor and the current climate in the world.

For the 2023 Emmy Awards, Survivor was recognized for the work of Survivor 43 and Survivor 44. Both seasons featured incredible human interest stories as they both happened to be character and socially-driven seasons. On Survivor 43, Mike Gabler, a Green Beret, took his million-dollar prize as the winner and donated it all to various veteran organizations. While his story occurred at the tail end of the season, Survivor 43 showcased the likes of Jesse Lopez, a former gang member in the juvenile hall turned PhD carrier, as he played proving second chances do exist, and Noelle Lambert, an American Paralympian, who overcame obstacles and showed no matter the physical limitations in a challenge, there is no such thing as giving up. Survivor 44 was won by Yam Yam Arocho, a gay Latino who played one of the most brilliant social games Survivor has seen. His story proved that kindness can triumph. The season showcased another story of hope from Carolyn Wigler, who previously battled drug and alcohol addiction. She came to the show as a sober single mom and empowered her fellow castaways and viewers alike.

Through the power of editing, Survivor introduced off-camera backstories via confessional and photographs. The viewers got a glimpse inside the person on the beach in a way that the program had never truly tapped into before. By bringing this into the narrative story, Survivor is borrowing a successful trait that has helped define the social power RuPaul's Drag Race brings into their show. Allowing the viewers to learn more about the person behind the castaway has given Survivor an opportunity to expand past the shocking blindsides and learn the objectives of the individuals.

Can Jeff Probst Connect to the Castaway Like RuPaul Connects With the Queens?

For those who watch both Survivor and RuPaul's Drag Race, some moments Drag Race fans are very familiar with have infiltrated their way into Jeff's interviews at Tribal Council. Jeff has a way of probing the castaways into discussing their feelings in a way similar to how RuPaul invites their finalists to advise their younger selves. While the lexicon is slightly different, the sentiment is the same. Jeff has found a way to ask the castaways to battle their own inner saboteurs, a catchphrase that RuPaul tirelessly drops into conversations with their queens.

Both Jeff Probst and RuPaul have a passion for bringing out the best in their contestants. And interestingly, both hosts have had their hand at hosting their own talk shows. The slight difference between both hosts is RuPaul's life experience is similar to the queens on Drag Race in that they can find common ground. Survivor has such a diverse cast of characters with varying life experiences that he is there to elevate a story rather than relate to it. If Jeff follows the path that RuPaul has successfully set and subtly drops them into Survivor, Jeff Probst might be hoisting up an Emmy Award on behalf of Survivor.

As winner Dee Valladares continually stated on Survivor 45, she was out there playing for her family, who she says is the definition of the American Dream. Drag Race is well-known for bringing visibility to the screen. Survivors have found the impact on the importance of visibility. And Emmy nominators have taken notice. Survivor has always been one of the greatest social experiments. It strands strangers on a beach and forces them to build a community as one. In this New Era of Survivor, the template has been amplified to learn just how the greatest social experiment ticks and has thus made Survivor an even better show. If Survivor marries its current iteration with elements of their past, they just might be able to dethrone RuPaul's Drag Race and fortify its supremacy as the OG reality TV show.

Season 46 of Survivor premieres February 28, 2024, on CBS. All episodes of Survivor 45 are available for streaming on Paramount+.

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